Page 31 - Preclearance News Today

This will be something thats obviously the next attorney general will have to deal with it directly. jeff sessions is hostile to the voting rights act? >> well, they have every right to their opinion, unfortunately its just not accurate what theyre saying. yes, there are plenty of conservatives and republicans who disagree on policy when it comes to the voting rights act, section on preclearance which is what jeff sessions was talking about when he was talking about the voting rights act. thats ...

Overcome that and fight that but thats the violation of the law. this gop has been so bold. they bragged and now said the headache has been removed, we can move forward. in the courtroom, they argue that the retrogression was fine and bragging now about their efforts and bragging about unconstitutional action. being open. this is how open. so i tell people, its not so much donald trump, look at what, hes talking about what he may do. we have a governor and a republican legislator and a republica...

>> if i wanted to believe that the supreme court was acting in true good faith and that they looked at section four and said, look, there just isnt any reason -- i know theres a lot of evidence but theres no reason to think that these states and localities still ought to be covered under preclearance, does this allow for an argument that allows this is precisely why we need it. is there any chance this could get our formula back? >> were seeing a lot of evidence for the need of a new voting righ...

Think of this be happening, would these cases even be coming forward if it had not been gutted? >> certainly not alabamas law. alabama as we know is an entire state that was subject to preclearance which means that before alabama could have any voting change go into effect, it had to make sure that the federal government approved in that it would not create a racially discriminatory impact against minorities. now that section five is no longer in effect, alabama has really gone buck wild. its re...

State legislature passed a voter i.d. law that made it illegal to vote in the state with a government photo issued i.d. the law was slated to go into effect three years later although they hadnt submitted the law for preclearance. then the summer of 2013 everything changed when a county in alabama won a landmark case. >> breaking news from the supreme court where justices have just struck down a key provision of the voting rights act. the most important civil rights law in the country. the court...

Although they hadnt submitted the law for preclearance. then the summer of 2013 everything changed when a county in alabama won a landmark case. >> breaking news from the supreme court where justices have just struck down a key provision of the voting rights act. the most important civil rights law in the country. the courts 5-4 ruling in shelby county versus holder prestates and municipalities with a history of racial discrimination from having to clear changes in voting procedures effectively ...

Anyone would feel right now about the fact that the department of justice just had a big win in texas, a win that came under section two demonstrating that, in fact, texas voter i.d. law, the appeals court saying that, in fact, that law is discriminatory against african-american and latino voter, but heres whats important to know, that is a law that would not have even been in place if section five, the preclearance, were still in place. so if the supreme court had not gutted the voting rights a...

Case of why what the supreme court did in 2013 to the voting rights act is so problematic for enfranchisement going forward. >> and this could lead to more voter fraud? >> jose all the studies that we have seen on voter fraud is that voter fraud is negligible in the state of texas, nationally. there just isnt even data to justify this kind of policy where they limit the type of ids you can use in texas, to just seven forms of id. you can use a gun license id. this is disparate impact on black an...

Northern insurance companies that insured it. so the reality is our system -- economic system was based upon that. now, moving fast forward. so, yes, you have the overt signs in the south but then you had the housing practices in the north. so my point here is that you have -- >> you also had overt signs in the north because lets not forget one of the unspoken things joe, about the voting rights act is two of the counties that had to have preclearance was in new york. you know one of the reasons...

Preclearance as opposed to nine in the old formula so i think it does strike a good balance and mentioned congressman john lewis, an icon of the civil rights movement. hes very support sieve tiff of this bill. so i believe if it gets a fair consideration it will sail through just like in 2006 when i voted for that reauthorization, as well. proud to support it again, this voting rights act is the most significant piece of civil rights legislation ever passed in american history. >> but let me ask...